Direct determination of the magnetic structure of the delta phase of oxygen

Simple diatomic molecules exhibit a variety of exciting physical phenomena under high pressures,including structural transitions, pressure induced metallization, and superconductivity. Oxygen is of particular interest because it carries a magnetic moment. For the first time we studied the magnetic structure in solid oxygen under very high pressure by a direct method, namely, neutron diffraction. A new type of magnetic order with ferromagnetic stacking of the antiferromagnetic O2 planes was discovered in delta-O2 at P=6.2 GPa. We show that all structural transformations at pressures < 7 GPa are driven by spin interactions; therefore, high-pressure oxygen should be considered as a unique ''spincontrolled crystal.''